Op art refers to the work of a group of artists who emerged in the 1960s were interested in the scientific properties of color and line, and the ways in which the human eye processes information. Victor Vasarely was at the core of the movement, earning him the nickname “Father of Op Art.” Vega-Nor is one of a number of paintings the artist created in which an orderly grid seemingly swells and protrudes off the picture plane. Warm colors, like orange and yellow, typically appear to advance in space, which is why Vasarely chose these hues for the area surrounding the central squares. The cells become progressively thinner and smaller toward the edges of the canvas, as if they are receding into space. This work takes its title from Vega, one of the brightest stars in the night sky, and Vasarely explained, “this composition expresses the extension, the expansion of the Universe: the extreme of the great infinities of Nature.”

Label from Giant Steps: Artists and the 1960s, June 30–December 30, 2018